[center]
[hr][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjk2Ljg4NWUyOC5SWFZuWlc1bElGZGhkSE52YmcsLC4w/reward-personal-use.regular.webp[/img][/center][right][b][code]Years Gone[/code][/b][/right][hr]

[Colour=peru]"I won't bore ya with all the details but, long story short, we heard you talking on the phone and, well, our grandad - God rest his soul - passed a few weeks ago. Now, myself and Alessa've been left a… a pretty decent inheritance each."[/colour]

The man in the suit appeared disinterested, attention on his phone and speaking in a tone just light enough to be socially polite but with a clear underlying desire to wrap it up fast.

"Sorry to hear that." He said. "How much're you two working with?"

[Colour=Peru]"Well, it's…"[/colour] He looked back and forth before leaning forward and whispering into the man's ear. The man in the suit looked up from his phone, a dial switched from within, like a shark smelling blood.

"That [i]is[/i] a pretty decent inheritance." He conceded. 

[Colour=silver]"But - and I don't mean to be disrespectful - it feels like a shortsighted call."[/colour] There was a shakiness to Alessa's voice. She abhorred the rudeness of her interjection but needed her voice to be heard. [Colour=silver]"Vincent wants to pool our money together and just… just dump all of it onto the market and hope that one of them might double our money and I-"[/colour]

[Colour=peru]"Alessa![/colour] Vincent hissed. The two began to silently bicker, an argument replayed over the past several weeks since obtaining the money. The man in the suit stood up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's all settle down." He stood, flashing an affable grin. "First off you and your lovely sister are right. It's a great way to triple your investment but it's good to be cautious. The market can be unpredictable. But, that's why you get a broker."

[Colour=peru]"A broker? Ah, buddy, we were just gonna go with the most popular stock and throw our lot in with them."[/colour]

The man in the suit chuckled. "Sure, that's a way of doing it, but you wanna diversify."

The siblings looked quizzical. [Colour=silver]"Diversify?[/colour] Alessa tilted her head.

"Yeah, y'know don't put all your eggs into one basket? It's the same principle. Blue chip stocks are generally reliable but, it's the success of the outliers that'll get you the most bang for your buck, emerging companies, horses on the rise, cryptocurrency even. That's where a broker steps in." With another disarming smile, he finished his drink and placed it down on the table.

"Tell you what, why don't I get us a booth over there and give you two a free consultation."

[Colour=peru]"Well… ah, gee, I dunno-"[/colour]

"Drinks on me." He said with a chuckle.

The siblings looked at each other then looked back at the man.

[Colour=peru]"Well all right!"[/colour] Vincent said, shaking the man's hand.

[hr]

The duo stumbled out of the bar, giggling and whispering.

[Colour=peru]"How long d'you think before they bring him the bill?"[/colour] Floyd slurred with a raspy chuckle.

[Colour=silver]"Three hundred dollars worth of champagne and lobster."[/colour] Eleanor giggled. [Colour=Silver]"I kinda feel bad for the guy, never even checked the drinks menu for the prices."[/colour]

[Colour=Peru]"Ahhhh, guy's a stockbroker. We could rob half the U.S and he'd still have us beat."[/colour]

[Colour=silver]"What's the plan now?"[/colour] she asked, resting her head on his shoulder as they staggered into the night.

[Colour=peru]"I dunno"[/colour] Floyd replied, looking down at her with a soft smile. [Colour=peru]"Somethin'...[/colour]

[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/q7Yakq0.png[/img][/center][right][b][code]The Webb Family Coffee House[/code][/b][/right][hr]

Stupid.

The whole thing made him feel idiotic.

On one hand he'd half expected a group of homeless nutjobs who'd somehow stumbled onto an Internet connection. Or, more worryingly, a sting operation by the police using the world's most bizarre gambit to flush him out. Instead it was terrified mothers and confused daughters.

A more stable group than he expected, to be sure, but as they poured forth stories of Eleanor Black it all felt so ridiculous. They all knew this woman with a similar backstory in vastly different contexts. He couldn't exactly figure out the [i]how[/i] or especially the [i]why[/i] Ellie might abandon her kid or steal somebody else's but this was a con of some kind. It had to be. And as such, Gene did what he always did with Ellie's stories.

Play along.

[Colour=peru]"Howdy."[/colour] He said, walking over to the group after Harmony had finished. [Colour=peru]"Sorry for listening in, wasn't sure if I had the right place."[/colour] He hesitated. [Colour=peru]"Still not. If I'm being honest."[/colour]

He sat down his hat and his glass of water in front of his chair on the table. The water was… somewhat cloudy and thus remained untouched.

[Colour=peru]"My name's Eugene. Eugene Watson. But, uh, just "Gene" works, thanks."[/colour] A little unsure. A little vulnerable even. Guarded but open.

[Colour=peru]"Ellie-... Eleanor was my girlfriend. Six years or so, give or take. She had short dark hair, smart as hell, kinda… kinda cagey, I guess?[/colour]

He inhaled, both from searching his brain for anything useful and how precisely to word it. [Colour=peru]"She didn't really talk much about her home life. 'Least not in anyway I understood."[/colour] The truth. [Colour=peru]"Pretty normal relationship beyond that."[/colour] A lie. [Colour=peru]"Only thing I remember for sure is her telling me about this place, Quintin. Can't say it's as appealing as she made it out to be. Not too long after that she, uh, she left me."[/colour] He quiets for a moment, just a second. His stare becomes hard yet confused. He settles back in to being Gene Watson, resolved that the table has seen the first and last glimpse of beneath the mask.

[Colour=peru]"A good few months after that I saw her again, completely different. Different look different name. But everybody was acting like she was the same as she'd ever been."[/colour] A vague truth, or a deliberately worded lie. Generally speaking, even those with the keenest senses for people found it hard to pick apart a story if they couldn't begin where to pierce it. They might guess you're lying, but they wouldn't know about specifically [i]what[/i].

He looked around at Niko, Charlie and Harmony, sympathy in his eyes. [Colour=peru]"Not quite the same as losing family or a support system though. For what little it's worth, no matter what crazy crap this is all spawned from, I hope everybody gets their Ellie back."[/colour]

Another careful wording, a dash of reality and fiction. Truthfully, part of Gene did pity these nutjobs but he wasn't even beginning to entertain anything more than a mundane outcome to all of this. Frankly, he was still lightly expecting them to whip out the badges and slap on the cuffs.